Research (FMP)

I got in touch with Keith Hackett who is a former a Premier League referee.

Keith is very opinionated on twitter about the introduction of VAR which is why i would like to speak to him and get his opinion on it.

He agreed to do an interview with me so i will now conduct some research on him, hid career and VAR.

 

VAR OVERTURNS (NET SCORE)

Manchester United +8

Brighton & Hove Albion +7

Crystal Palace +5

Burnley +4

Newcastle +3

Leicester City +1

Liverpool +1

Manchester City +1

Southampton +1

Tottenham Hotspur +1

AFC Bournemouth 0

Arsenal -1

Watford -1

Everton -2

Aston Villa -3

Chelsea -4

Norwich City -5

West Ham -5

Wolves -5

Sheffield United -6

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Keith Hackett interview Transcript (primary research)

Were there any incidents over the weekend that were controversial that VAR should/should not have been involved in?

 

1. I think We’re consistently getting decisions that put into question how the VAR is being operated in england were out of sync with the rest of the world and what concerns me is we are taking away some of the power and authority of the man in the middle and passing it on to another ref in fairness at stockley park and a simple answer is that whilst i agree in terms of offside you want the man at stockley park to make that call in terms of subjective decisions.

 

Do you feel VAR undermines the on field referee?

 

1. I do in the eyes of the public for sure and i think i was looking for it to act to support the ref but i feel at times the fact VAR is there is exposing, to get back to the question if we take last weeks games (mentions all weekends games)in one weekend we have a series of controversial incident some good some bad which highlight the inconsistency of how VAR is being operated. Excellent use of pitchside monitors, refs getting another chance, we come out with a more credible decision even if they stick with their original answer, it reinforces that call so for me there not operating VAR and i think what causes it is no one sat down and said what’s clear and obvious.

           I think at the moment our referees are in the doldrums, (Micheal)Oliver and (Mike) Dean apart and Martin Atkinson are our stand out refs, the other could be helped by VAR.   

Do you feel that refereeing in England is a poor standard?

1. I don’t think that the standard is poor ….. I think at the end of the day what we have is a competition that’s viewed by 211 territories around the world there are a minimum of 22 cameras at each game so therefore the exposure of the prem refs is massive compared to other countries and i feel that does give them problems i feeling reffing there is a process a ref makes. Number 1 he has to see the incident then he thinks about it and then he makes his decision and that’s the process and I feel t times the refs aren’t seeing and I question their fit to pass an annual test however  questions their fitness throughout the season. This was highlighted when mid season a couple of our younger referees David Koute and Andy madley both failed a UEFA fitness test now yes they’ve now retaken and passed it, however they shouldn’t be in that position to start with, they should not fail at all, their professional referees so i think the standard is not as good as it used to be.

 

Is there a reason the referees are not advised to look at the pitch side monitor?

• Yes I think it’s the boss of the PGMOL, they decides the strategy within regulations therefore i think they’ve sought advice from the IFAB the governing body there the lawmakers and in charge of VAR around the world and i think it’s a mistake and poor management decisions, i’ve heard the prem have influenced that decision well the prem should stay out of reffing after they are member of the PGMOL board and that’s where they should voice their concerns they should have no power to execute how the refs are applying the laws of the game that is not their business so that concerns me.           I am quite clear that there is a technology short fall when it comes to making those           decisions, my view is because of the speed of the cameras that there is a shortfall in             accuracy so i don’t think the system is giving them the level of accuracy.

Is the introduction of thicker lines when making offside decisions a step in the right direction?

• I think it’s a fudge to be honest. I think if we were going to use technology i was the guy who stood up and asked for goal line technology and worked with a hawk eye. I don’t think the people in charge have spent as much time and they’ve accepted what we’ve got. You might as well move back, do away with the lines as they aren’t accurate when they are fine then use them but, in the meantime just use the judgement of the assistant referee and let him look at the film clip let it replay and he can make a judgment. Im clear in my thought that the panel at stockley park should be made up of ex and current referees the reason being that there’s then an honest debate i think there covering each others back but not helping each other, you get a better decision through a degree of honesty and some tough talking 

Coronavirus ban 

• I think it’s a sensible decision by the premier league, it’s a huge business football and it employs a lot of people with huge amounts of money involved.

 

Should VAR be taken away from the premier league?

• No, i dont think theres anything wrong with the technology , i think what you say is some aspects of it you wouldn’t use 

 

Secondary Research 

Prior to me interview with Keith, he sent me a few different documents for me to have a read through on new rule changes that are currently being discussed for the Premier league.

i read through these document thoroughly and incorporated what id learnt from them into the questions i asked Mr Hackett. I will attach the key points that i felt were most important below.

UEFA will introduce thicker lines for offside decisions reviewed in the Champions League and Europa League by Video Assistant Referees [VARs], in a bid to encourage more goals from next season.

The new lines, which may yet be used in this summer’s European Championships, can be used under the existing laws of football.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says he has been in talks with the organisation’s refereeing officials to roll out the changes to ensure sides are not “ruined” by one wrong decision.

“One centimetre offside is not offside,” said Ceferin, in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News. “Because that’s not the meaning of the rule. And it has to be clear and obvious mistake for VAR to intervene.

“So, thicker lines are essential because the line is drawn subjectively. So, it’s not exact and if one centimetre… you ruin the season of a club with one wrong decision. And, for me, the handball is also problematic, but I don’t know what exactly to do about it. We are discussing a lot with our referee officers.”

Football lawmakers, the International Football Association Board [IFAB], allow competitions to determine the level of accuracy of their VAR systems, with no specific law about the width of offside lines.

The Premier League will discuss its use of VAR, including offside decisions, at a club meeting next month.

UEFA: Agreement ‘very close’ over Champions League reforms

Ceferin has confirmed that an agreement between European clubs is “very close” over proposed changes to the Champions League format, following talks before UEFA Congress in Amsterdam this week.

A lot of this information is important as it is a big story on social media currently and it something keith Knows a lot about so it could be a big talking point in his interview.

it is also a big change thats coming to VAR sp it could be a recurring talking point through out my assignment.

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Infographic Research 

Teams who have benefited the most from VAR in order of most to least

Informations from – https://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/ranking-every-premier-league-club-by-who-has-benefited-most-from-var/

Manchester United +8

Just one VAR referral has gone against United, when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s originally ruled out goal for Arsenal was allowed to stand.

Brighton +7

Brighton’s first taste of VAR saw Leandro Trossard’s goal against West Ham disallowed in August, but they have fared better since with six goals scored against them subsequently being disallowed.

Crystal Palace +5

Palace benefited from three VAR decisions in October when Jordan Ayew’s late goal against West Ham was awarded after initially being given as offside, a penalty was awarded against Arsenal after Wilfried Zaha had been booked for diving and then Sokratis’ late goal was disallowed for the hosts.

Burnley +5

Aston Villa have had two goals disallowed against Burnley, while a penalty awarded to Chelsea was overturned after Callum Hudson-Odoi was deemed to have taken a dive.

Southampton +3

Southampton have also had six goals against them ruled out by VAR, but Ryan Bertrand’s red card against Leicester went against them.

Liverpool +1

Chelsea and Crystal Palace had goals ruled out against Liverpool, but Sadio Mane had goals ruled out against Manchester United and Watford, leaving the Reds level in VAR judgements.

Newcastle +1

VAR has only been involved once in Newcastle’s games, with Jonjo Shelvey’s goal against Sheffield United given after initially being ruled out for offside.

Leicester City +1

Spurs and Burnley and Wolves (twice) have all had goals disallowed against Leicester, while Ryan Bertrand was sent off for Southampton.

Tottenham +1

Spurs were left thanking VAR after Gabriel Jesus’ late winner for Manchester City was ruled out in August, while they saw decisions go both for (Ayoze Perez having a goal disallowed) and against (Serge Aurier’s effort suffering the same fate) them in the defeat at Leicester.

Manchester City +1

Gabriel Jesus has seen two goals ruled out, against West Ham and Tottenham, although City were allowed to retake a penalty against the Hammers due to encroachment from Declan Rice, with Sergio Aguero converting from 12 yards.

Bournemouth 0

Josh King’s goal against West Ham was ruled out for offside in Bournemouth’s first taste of VAR, but King then had a goal against West Ham given after being flagged offside.

Watford -1

Watford were awarded a penalty against Chelsea and saw Sadio Mane’s goal for Liverpool ruled out for offside.

Everton -2

VAR proved costly for Everton against Brighton as Michael Keane was deemed to have fouled Aaron Connolly, conceding a penalty, in the 3-2 defeat.

Arsenal -2

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal against Manchester United was initially disallowed for offside, only to be awarded after a VAR referral.

Aston Villa -3

Villa have also had two goals ruled out against Burnley this season, although only one proved costly.

John McGinn’s disallowed goal against Burnley meant VIlla were held to a 2-2 draw in September, but they still managed to beat them 2-1 in January despite Jack Grealish having his goal ruled out.

Chelsea -4

Kurt Zouma and Cesar Azpilicueta have both had goals ruled out by VAR, against Norwich and Liverpool respectively, while Callum Hudson-Odoi had a penalty overturned after being adjudged to have dived against Burnley and Gerard Deulofeu had a penalty for Watford awarded following a trip by Jorginho.

West Ham -4

Manchester City, Brighton and Burnley all had goals ruled out against West Ham, but Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Brighton all had goals originally chalked off eventually given by VAR.

Wolves -5

It’s even more remarkable how well Wolves are doing when you consider how much VAR has affected them.

Norwich City -5

Norwich benefited from their first taste of VAR when Kurt Zouma’s goal for Chelsea was ruled out, and they came out unscathed when Manchester United had two penalties awarded at Carrow Road following VAR referrals, only for Tim Krul to save them both.

Sheffield United -6

Like Wolves, Sheffield United are impressing in spite of VAR.

VAR costings

Info from – https://www.novibet.co.uk/blog/everything-need-know-var-ahead-2019-premier-league-season/

The stats showed that over five years, UEFA paid 53 million across stadiums, with 300,000 of the cash sum coming from English top-flight football alone.

Each of the clubs also had to pay Sepp Blatter an additional 15,000 to install, test and receive ‘FIFA quality seal’ for Hawk-eye camera-based systems, expected to cost around 25,000 pe ground in total.

where 300,000 was needed to install goal-line technology, expect an excess of 700,000 to be the cost of VAR.

From extra camera positions, equipment, maintenance, testing, VAR studios, and extra training for referees having to be used in every single stadium across the league, this figure is not all altogether surprising one.

info from – http://ip-unit.org/2019/world-ip-day-the-video-assistant-referee-var-the-patent-protected-technology-changing-the-face-of-football/

The cost of the use of VAR for a season was estimated at US$6.2 million (~ZAR 87 million) for a season

Hawk-Eye Innovations holds the patent (WO0141884) for the VAR technology which was used at last year’s FIFA World Cup. Hawk-eye is part of Sony. The protection granted by this patent enables it to benefit economically from this invention by entering into licencing agreements with various sports bodies such as FIFA who pay a fee to obtain access to Hawk-Eye’s technology with the aim of improving the decision making of their officials and aiding a richer viewing experience.

info from – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45567928

Enable a system that, at a minimum of £5000 per game, would cost more than £1m per season

Time it takes to review a decision 

The median time taken for all incidents is 20 seconds, and the majority of checks take place while play continues or during ‘normal’ stoppages like goal celebration or when the ball out of play.

VAR-only reviews take a median time of 35 seconds, while on-field reviews take around 68 seconds.

Info from – https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11295403/has-var-worked-statistics-behind-worldwide-use-show-positives

list of how other things affect time spent in a game (comparison page)

 

Prior to putting my information on an infographic i spent a considerable amount of time researching my design and which design would be most suitable for the type of information  i wanted to use such as graphs and timelines.

 

To begin with my research i wanted to know which question are most frequently asked by fans and i wanted to be able to answer them through my video and article.

If the question is being asked by a lot of people there must be a reason behind it so if i could base my questions for my video around that then i would get a better reply from my interviewees which would make for better content.

I wanted to find VAR themed questions that people most wanted to voice there opinion and and something which would get a good reaction.

 

 

I contacted fan clubs such as the ones below to see if they’d like to be apart of my video.

I found the best way to look for people was through social media and to see what they were posting and if it was something relevant to the video i wanted to make. For example if they had evidently been vocal about the subject then they would be a good interviewee for my video. 

At the minute, all of them. With differing implications depending on level of league. Clubs get money in three ways. Broadcasting, match day attendance and commercial revenue. A lot of that is paid to clubs up front in the summer (to fund the transfer market etc.). Also, clubs get all the season ticket money up front and then spend most of it. The big issue at the minute (especially in lower league clubs) is the loss of matchday income. Clubs in Champ, L1 & L2 rely on this revenue to fund day to day cash flow. Without it, they are in real trouble. I heard the Walsall chairman say their matchday income can be anything up to around £45,000. It’s a huge amount at that level and clubs at the minute still have costs to pay but nothing coming in. Broadcasters have also put some of the final payments on hold as games haven’t been played yet so that is leaving clubs in limbo as well. Especially in EPL where the TV money is so high.

It will have an effect for sure. But how much is difficult to tell. Go back to season ticket money. Clubs get most of that up front. If games played behind closed doors for all next season as well then how do clubs get any money from fans? Also, we’ve just seen players contracts being able to be extended so season can finish. Does that mean we need to move the transfer window, too? A few too many unknowns in this one at the minute but it could be a quieter transfer window than usual (when it happens).

A big part. They are seeing falling subscriptions and people freezing subscriptions so they are also facing lost revenue. The big two in the UK (Sky and BT sport) make a huge play on sport to sell their subscriptions. At the minute they have nothing to ‘sell’ to consumers so they will be putting the pressure on leagues and threatening to take their money back if games aren’t fulfilled.

In theory, yes. Links to the above. We’ve already seen the EPL say that a cancelled season could cost them around £1billion. Other figures suggested £750m lost TV revenue and just tonight there’s a rumour that even if games are played behind closed doors it could still cost the clubs £340m in lost TV cash.

Lower league clubs. L1 & L2 in particular. They are reliant on matchday income and fans. Without them, they have no main income stream.

Links to all of the above really. You have financial issues across the board at club level, league level, with the broadcasters, with commercial partners. Nobody is immune to this. They all depend on each other to some extent.

I would imagine they would try to, yes. Would be based on financial payments linked to prize money etc. E.g. qualifying for Champions League or gaining promotion to EPL. Would be a legal minefield, hence why they are desperate to get the season finished whatever way they can.